On November 14, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan (SSS) reported that Service continues complex operational-investigative measures to expose the spy network and prevent the intelligence-disruptive activities carried out by the representatives of the special services of the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Republic of Azerbaijan.

"As a result of the measures carried out, it was established that Asgarov Zahir Fakhreddin oglu, who worked as a ship captain in the Caspian Sea Oil Fleet, was involved in secret cooperation by the representatives of the special service of the country in exchange for financial compensation during his religious education in Qom, Iran. During the past period, he collected information about the companies and representative offices of foreign countries operating in our country, the location and time of the exercises conducted by the Navy in the Caspian Sea, and the cargoes transported to the oil rigs to use them to the detriment of the sovereignty and defense capability of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Zahir Asgarov committed treason against the state in the form of espionage by providing the mentioned information through a mobile phone, as well as directly during meetings with those persons in Iran," the report added.

"Another investigation established that while Rasulov Elnur Akif oglu was in Iran for treatment in 2018, he agreed on secret cooperation with the representatives of the special service of this country, who introduced himself under the aliases of “Meyse" and "Doctor." Elnur Rasulov, first directly and then through his relative Rasulov Arif Amrah oglu, with whom he was involved in secret cooperation, in exchange for payment of various amounts, passed information about the uncrewed aerial vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Defense and the State Border Service, which were kept at the airports and the areas where the oil and gas pipelines pass in the Garadagh district of Baku city, uncrewed aerial vehicles, tanks and various military equipment, equipment displayed at the "Technofest” Aviation, Space and Technology festival in Baku, strategic and military facilities located in Baku, as well as in Salyan and Fuzuli regions, anti-aircraft missile complexes, as well as other radar and control devices by sending photos and videos to the representative of the special service body through the “WhatsApp” instant messaging system," the information stated.

"At the same time, reasonable suspicions were established that another citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Bakhtiyar Aghazadeh, while being in the Islamic Republic of Iran for his religious education committed high treason by initiating confidential cooperation with representatives of a special service body of Iran in exchange for financial interest by providing information to them about offices of foreign countries operating in Azerbaijan, public political processes occurred in the country, military units, their locations, and assignments, as well as military staff," it emphasized.

The Service stated, "It was also determined that Jafarzadeh Mirhafiz Mirisag oglu, who was issued an arrest warrant in 2018 by a court order and later added to the international wanted list, received instructions from Mammadov Orkhan Kemran oglu, who is currently in hiding in Iran, and provided the latter with the information detrimental to the Republic of Azerbaijan’s state security and defense capabilities specifying the location of the military objects and other related information through the Telegram messenger."

"Citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan Zahir Asgarov, Elnur Rasulov, Arif Rasulov, Mirhafiz Jafarzadeh, and Bakhtiyar Agazadeh were charged and arrested under Article 274 (treason) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan," it added.

"As a result of the investigation, groups under the names “Müzakirələr," "Elanlar” and others were identified in the WhatsApp application, in which citizens of Azerbaijan were involved. They acted under the influence of Tohid Ibrahimbayli, Orkhan Mammadov, and Elshad Hajiyev, who are in hiding in Iran and evading criminal responsibility," the government body continued.

"It was established that contrary to human rights recognized by contemporary international law, and in violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, radical, religious-extremist ideas calculated to create a religious state in Azerbaijan were distributed through these groups," the information concluded.

Azerbaijani border guards prevented drug smuggling from Iran.

On November 11, Azerbaijani border guards prevented an attempt to smuggle drugs from Iran.

According to the information released by the State Border Service on November 14, Orkhan Sadigov, a resident of Gazakh district, was detained near Garaguvendikli village in Imishli district (230 kilometers southwest of Baku).

During the search, 9.9 kilograms of narcotics (9.3 kilograms of marijuana, 100 grams of opium, and 400 methadone-40 pills totaling 500 grams) were discovered on the person.

According to the information of the State Commission for Combating Drug Addiction and Illegal Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs for the period from January to September 2022, during the nine months of this year, 4 tons, or 827 kilograms, with a total value of 168 million, 635 thousand manats (about 99 million dollars), were sold in Azerbaijan. Drugs and psychotropic substances were removed from illegal circulation.

It is reported that most drugs taken out of circulation were imported from Iran. Thus, Azerbaijan's law enforcement agencies publish information about the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of drugs, believed to have been brought to the country from Iran, almost every week.

There are official reports that there are frequent skirmishes between drug smugglers and Azerbaijani border guards on the border with Iran. Several drug traffickers and border guards were killed or wounded during the shootings.

Although the issues related to the prevention of drug smuggling have been repeatedly discussed at the meetings of the officials of Azerbaijan and Iran, illegal drug transportation continues to increase.

According to the information of the Azerbaijan State Commission for Combating Drug Addiction and Illegal Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, more than 6 tons of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were removed from illegal circulation in 2021.

Another piece of information from the commission states that several illegal transit drug routes pass through Azerbaijan. These are the Iran-Azerbaijan, Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Japan, and Iran-Azerbaijan-Georgia-drug routes that pass through Azerbaijan. These are the Iran-Azerbaijan, Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Japan, Iran-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Europe, and Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Ukraine routes.

Phone Talk Between Azerbaijani and Iranian Foreign Ministers Amid Growing Tensions

On November 14, a telephone conversation was held between Jeyhun Bayramov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Huseyn Amir Abdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported.

The ministers discussed current issues of the bilateral agenda, as well as the regional situation.

The parties stated that it is necessary to resolve the current situation in the relations between the two countries, concerns about public rhetoric, and other existing problems within the framework of mutual dialogue and understanding. In this regard, it was pointed out that it would be helpful to establish a relationship between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs' press secretaries.

During the telephone conversation, the ministers exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest and noted the importance of continuing contact.

Notably, according to a report by Caucasus Watch, after the Second Karabakh War, diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Iran became quite strained and remain difficult even today. After Iran conducted large-scale military drills on the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, opened an Iranian consulate in Kapan, Armenia, and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced an Armenian consulate in Azerbaijani-habited Tabriz, Azerbaijan’s rhetoric against Iran became more aggressive, both in the media and at the official level. Beginning in November, deputies of the Azerbaijani parliament, other officials, state TV channels, and public or state agencies began to bring the issue of "South Azerbaijan" [Azerbaijanis call northern provinces of Iran inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis with this term] into the political arena. There were also some unverified reports by Azerbaijani news outlets that leaflets with pictures of the President of Azerbaijan have been spread in Tabriz, Ardabil, and other cities of Iran.